


What Kind of Girl

by Ladi3defective



Category: Heavenly Creatures (1994), Historical Criminals RPF, Historical RPF
Genre: 900 words, Aftermath of Violence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/F, Femslash, Historical, Historical References, I refuse to believe that Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker weren't at least a little bit gay, Implied Femslash, Inspired by Real Events, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, Melancholy, Murder, Murder Wives, Murderer turned Author, New Zealand, No Lesbians Die, Old Age, One Shot, Parker Hulme Murder, Past Relationship(s), Past Violence, Queer Character, Queer History, Queer Themes, Real Life, Secret Identity, Sexuality Crisis, Short, This author is a queer woman with a weakness for the murderous lesbians trope, Two Women Who Were Once Girls In Love But Who Don't Know What To Do With Each Other Anymore, What-If, Witness Protection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24305989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladi3defective/pseuds/Ladi3defective
Summary: I personally find the Parker Hulme Murder really interesting, especially because of the fact that Juliet Hulme, who, somewhat ironically became an author of murder mysteries who lives under the name of Anne Perry, has repeatedly denied that there was a romantic or sexual relationship between her and Pauline, while Pauline herself has remained conspicuously silent on the matter. I wished to explore why that was, as well as the question of how would two people, who shared such an intense relationship which they were both so committed to preserving that they murdered someone who they thought threatened it, relate to each other as adults who probably don't have that much in common but also struggle to form connections with other people because of their experiences?I'm not arguing that the relationship between Parker and Hulme was healthy, as it obviously wasn't, but I do personally connect on some level with the who obsessive friendship bordering on queer romance, as looking back, the really intense friendships I had with other girls were pretty clearly crushes as well, and I find it an interesting topic to look into.
Relationships: Juliet Hulme/Pauline Parker
Kudos: 1





	What Kind of Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up, there is a use of 'dyke' as a slur- it's a term that I personally have reclaimed and use with pride, but it is here used in a pejorative sense. I include some sources about the case at the end that you are welcome to use for your own research :).

Juliet sat in Pauline’s shabby sitting room, her crossed ankles leading up wrinkled legs to a houndstooth covered lap. She’d always looked respectable. Seemed like such a nice girl, that’s what they said, the bloodhounds of the press, and all those tourists looking for a morbid thrill. Never would have guessed. Juliet spoke.  
“I need you to make a statement saying that we weren’t-- that it wasn’t like that.”  
She liked people to think that. ‘Such a nice girl’ had ensured she got a charge of manslaughter, in and out of prison in five years after killing her best friend’s mother in cold blood. It’d even helped shorten Pauline’s sentence a little too. She was sure of it, though she wasn’t sure how Juliet’d done it, how she’d managed to extend her charm to cover Pauline as well. She wasn’t sure why Juliet’d done it either.   
“What for? This part of your whole ‘Anne Perry’ routine? The old can’t deny you’re a murderer, so might as well not be a lesbian too?”  
Juliet shifted in her seat slightly. “My books have been receiving increased attention, yes, and I thought that with the publicity, this was as good a time as any to clear up any misconceptions.” Pauline snorted, but stayed quiet.  
She could’ve thrown Pauline under the bus then. Said her best friend was a filthy d*ke who’d forced her into it all. God knows her lawyer would’ve been pleased, half the jury was thinking it, it would’ve meant vindication for all those people writing in to the editorials, and a better story for the newspaper men. She probably would’ve gotten off with even less time.   
“I just need you to give an interview saying that we never did that kind of thing.” Juliet insisted. “It would help stop some of the more persistent rumors.”  
Pauline didn’t meet her eyes, choosing instead to watch her cooling milk tea as she fiddled with the cup, trying to center it on the saucer.  
“You know I never did like reporters. Right bastards.”  
Placing her hands on either side of her, Juliet shifted forwards, pleased to have a solution ready. “You don’t have to do it in person, I can give it, or your sister can do it for you, just like last time.”  
Pauline finally gave up on her saucer to meet Juliet’s eyes. “Never been much good at lying.”  
It was probably the thing that had got them caught. Juliet’s lies hadn’t made much sense either, but at least she’d stayed consistent, kept her calm. Pauline had fallen apart in questioning, and even though she’d insisted that she’d acted alone, it hadn’t been hard for the cops to put the pieces together. She wondered if that was why Juliet hadn’t turned on her, because Pauline had tried to save her, protect her from it all.  
There was a silence. A cloud continued onwards after covering the sun, the bright light coming through the blinds. Pauline had the thought, as she caught a glimpse of them both in her hall mirror, that at last, they had once again reached an age at which it seemed just as preposterous for them to be murderers as it had when they stood trial.  
“You must have read too many of those old headlines if you believe that nonsense,” Juliet said disdainfully, jutting her chin in Pauline’s direction. “Neither of us even knew what ‘lesbian’ meant, we hardly could have been without noticing.”  
Pauline pushed back. “What normal girls would do what we did?”  
It had been twenty six years before they met again after Pauline’s release. The popular theory amongst true crime enthusiasts and romantics alike was that the jury, knowing that only together were they dangerous, had made their freedom conditional upon their permanent separation. Pauline and Juliet had waited until they had both emigrated, and they were sure that they wouldn’t be extradited to contact each other. That’s why it took so long.   
But in reality, it was simply because it is a strange and painful thing to reconnect with someone you once cared for very much not knowing if you do any more.  
Anne Perry, better known as Juliet Hulme of the infamous Parker-Hulme murder, recently granted an interview to the Glouchester Sun about her most recent novel, Blackheath Square, in which Inspector Monk will have to face his most dangerous enemy yet- an old friend. “A real treat for all, whether newcomers or long time fans, Ms. Perry’s latest book is sure to delight” -Northumbrian Review. It is set to be released September 7 of this year by Bloomingdale House, the first of Ms. Perry’s books to be published after the revelation of her own shadowed past. Ms. Perry admitted to being relieved that the knowledge of her true identity has not deterred readers. While she seemed happy for the most part to leave the past behind her, she did take the opportunity to provide clarity regarding the nature of the relationship between her and Ms. Pauline Parker. “I am not now, and have never been a lesbian. The relationship between myself and Pauline was obsessive, but nothing more. There was no romantic or sexual component.” Ms. Parker declined to comment when contacted by the Sun. 

Bibliography:

Rosenfeld, Megan. “Wrong and Write.” The Washington Press, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/03/15/wrong-and-write/66364131-b5de-41cf-9eae-a33316bcb5ae/. 

“We Were Not Lesbians, Says Former Juliet Hulme.” New Zealand Herald, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10371147 

Abrams, Adam. “Diaries.” adamabrams.com, http://www.adamabrams.com/hc/faq2/Section_7/7.4.3.html

Abrams, Adam. “Parker, Pauline Yvonne.” adamabrams.com, http://www.adamabrams.com/hc/faq2/Section_7/7.5.6.html

Abrams, Adam. “Press Articles Contemporary with the ‘Parker Hulme’ Murder.” adamabrams.com, http://www.adamabrams.com/hc/faq2/library/7.6.html

Abrams, Adam. “Contemporary Press Articles Part II: the Trial.” adamabrams.com, http://www.adamabrams.com/hc/faq2/library/7.6.1.html

Abrams, Adam. “Contemporary Press Articles Part III: the Verdict and Beyond.” adamabrams.com, http://www.adamabrams.com/hc/faq2/library/7.6.2.html


End file.
